Funeral for Daniel Bobbitt, soldier killed in training, is today
Lt.-Col. Bobbitt, commanding officer at CFB Petawawa, died after light-armoured vehicle rolled over
A funeral will be held in Petawawa, Ont., for Lt.-Col. Daniel Bobbitt, who was killed in a training incident in Alberta last week.
Bobbitt was the commanding officer of the 2nd Regiment Royal Canadian Horse Artillery based at Petawawa.
He died on May 21 when a LAV III rolled over during Exercise Maple Resolve 2014 at Garrison Wainwright, about 200 kilometres southeast of Edmonton. Four other soldiers were also injured in the incident.
The funeral will be held at St. Francis of Assisi Chapel in Petawawa with military honours starting at 1 p.m. ET, followed by a burial at the Beechwood Military Cemetery in Ottawa.
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Bobbitt, a father of three, had 23 years of military experience, including two tours of duty in Bosnia and also in Afghanistan.
Bobbitt’s military career began in Nova Scotia, where he enlisted as a soldier in the reserves in 1988. He transferred to the regular forces and became an officer, later serving as the senior instructor, field artillery, at the Royal Canadian Artillery School.
'He was the best of us,' widow says
Last Thursday, Bobbitt’s fellow soldiers in Petawawa and Wainwright remembered him as a dedicated professional and devoted father.
Last Friday, Bobbitt’s widow Monica made a short statement with the couple’s three children behind her. She said her husband died doing what he loved and he was a proud Nova Scotian. She also said her husband was "the best of us."
The Canadian Forces National Investigation Service, a high-level police unit, and military police are investigating the rollover.
The military has not taken any extra precautions following the incident, but stressed it already has strict safety procedures for training with armoured vehicles, according to Brig.-Gen. Omer Lavoie, who oversaw the training exercise.
Lavoie also said the Canadian Forces is "a small family" and Bobbitt's death has shocked his fellow soldiers, but they are committed to continuing the training.